IN his second State of the Nation address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. noted tourism as a reliable pillar of this archipelago's economic growth providing livelihood to 5 million Filipinos. With more than 7,000 islands to boast of and promote, cruise tourism becomes a compelling step to stimulate local and foreign tourists' interest in exploring the Philippines.

The President has on several occasions mentioned his wish to see Filipinos gain interest and attain the capacity to see and explore the country, and cruise tourism would be one of the best ways to encourage them to do that. The Department of Tourism (DoT) articulates the agency's plans to launch a Philippine cruise tourism program while the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) has incorporated as one of the Maritime Industry Development Program (MIDP) targets that of promoting cruise tourism.